Ants are a common insect pest in and around the home as well as in agricultural settings. Various ant species pose significant problems in the home, including damage to wooden structures, roofs, and electrical equipment. Ant pests have also been known to introduce contamination and disease by spreading pathogens and some ant species inflict painful stings that can be life-threatening to sensitive individuals. In agriculture, some ants feed on germinating seeds and crop seedlings while some domesticate and protect other pest insects that feed on crops. Examples of pest ants include fire ants (Solenopsis spp.), argentine ants (Linepithema humile), pharaoh ants (Monomorium pharaonis), little black ants (Monomorium spp.), carpenter ants (Camponotus spp.), ghost ants (Tapinoma spp.), big-headed ants (Pheidole spp.) and white-footed ants (Technomyrmex albipes).
The white-footed ant was first collected from Indonesia, but has spread throughout the tropics and subtropical areas and is now found in Asia, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Hawaii, and Florida. In recent years, reports of these ants infesting homes have increased considerably. These small ants exist in vast colonies, with colony size estimates ranging from 400,000 to over 1 million individuals. Due to their numbers and colonizing habits, these ants have become a nuisance to homeowners, and in some locations, these ants contribute to degradation of agricultural crops by protecting and nurturing insect pests, such as aphids and scales, that feed on the crops.
While white-footed ants are not directly harmful to humans, they are a nuisance within and around the home as well as a threat to crops. Several biological aspects of the white-footed ant make it a difficult pest to control, including the size of colonies, tremendous reproduction capabilities, and tiny body size allowing entry to most structures. Currently, no baits specific for the white-footed ant are commercially available. Since attempts to eradicate this pest have not been successful, the potential exists for the migration of these pests into previously uninhabited areas.
To control insect pests, formulations including both a bait (attractant) and an insect toxicant are generally employed. Most commercially available baits contain either a vegetable oil or a sugar as the attractant. Although various insect pest baits are currently available, the utility of these baits for the control of sugar-loving ants has been limited. Many species of ants have proven to be difficult to control with currently available baits, as the ants do not feed on the baits for sufficient periods of time, and the components of the baits degrade rather rapidly.